


Voice of Reason

by towblerone



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, Mental Instability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 02:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3101954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towblerone/pseuds/towblerone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After getting marooned together on Isla Providencia, you aren’t about to let Edward lay a hand on Charles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Voice of Reason

The captain of the Royal African Company ship howled in utter agony as his kneecap was blown off by the flintlock of one Charles Vane.

"Dammit, Vane!" Edward shouted. You could tell that your captain was beginning to regret teaming up with Charles. If he couldn’t keep his violent tendencies under control, there would be problems.

Charles wasn’t phased in the least by Edward’s reprimanding. He gave him a half-assed glare, but nothing else. No aggressive words or nothing.

"Oh Charles, what a surly devil you are," Jack said in his casual, carefree manner. It was the most inappropriate of times for him to be so cheerful. In fact, you wished he hadn’t opened his mouth at all.

"Don’t fuck with me, Jack," Charles warned his quartermaster.

"Oh, but it’s my mandate to fuck with you, Charles," Jack said, voice condescending. After a brief pause, Jack raised his hands in signal. "Lads!"

As the word left his mouth, the rest of Charles’ crew pointed their pistols at you, Edward, and Charles. Adewale was forced to his hands and knees, and he grunted in pain as his palms hit the wood of the Jackdaw.

"See," Jack said as he leisurely waltzed in front of Charles, "the boys and I had a bit of counsel while you were wastin’ time with this lot, and, uh, well, they figured I’d be a fitter captain than you reckless dogs." He finished with a smug smile, which only fueled Charles’ temper.

"I’ll cut you another cunt, traitor!" he snarled. As much as you’d love to see that happen, you wish you could reel him back, as it wasn’t helping the situation.

Jack giggled mockingly at his captain - or, you supposed, former-captain now - holding up his hands. He moved a few steps closer to Adewale and placed a ring-adorned finger on his smooth scalp.

"This one I figure I might sell for a tenner down in Kingston-"

At this, both you and Edward were livid. Adewale was a good friend and a constant companion. To hear him speak about him the way he was sickened you both. It made you want to wring Jack’s thick neck.

"-but, ah, with you two grog-blossoms…" he hissed through his teeth, "I can’t take any chances."

Two? He was referring to Charles and Edward, of course, but there were three of you…did he have something different in store for you?

As if reading your mind, Jack’s gaze dragged from Charles over to you, and his eyes wandered all over your body.

"And as for this one…" he slid his dirty hand underneath your chin, "I believe she will be quite…comfortable in my cabin, don’t you think?”

The thought made you queasy. Jack disgusted you before this, but now he absolutely repulsed you. To think that he planned what he was planning for you was enough to make you want to vomit.

Out of the corner of your eye, Edward remained cool-headed (though you knew he was just as angry as you were), but Charles, seeing Jack touching you, was seething with anger.

Jack’s thumb brushed over your lips, and you jumped at the opportunity to open your mouth and clamp down your teeth hard over his flesh. He yelped and tried to yank himself free, but you held tight. It wasn’t until one of Charles’ crew, too unimportant to be named, smacked the back of your head that you let go.

There was a metallic taste in your mouth that you recognized as blood, but something else was between your teeth as well. You spat out one of Jack’s many rings and it clattered onto the deck. Edward couldn’t help but smirk proudly at you, and Charles full-out grinned at your guts.

"You won’t touch me, you disgusting arse."

You knew that wouldn’t bring good fortune your way, but anything was preferable to being Jack’s little toy.

Jack shook his hand, hissing in pain.

"Just for that," he said, "you’ll be joinin’ those grog-blossoms.”

Edward’s scowl returned, and he oozed loathing for the finely-dressed man.

"You’ll regret this day, Rackham."

Jack only looked at Edward with very little expression to his face.

"I regret most of them already."

He twirled his hand in the air, a flourishing gesture to his new crew.

"Tie ‘em up!" he ordered as if setting his former-friends was something he did every day, "cast ‘em off."

—

It had been months since you, Edward, and Charles had been marooned on Isla Providencia. Many of those months were spent adrift on the wasted Ranger, with Charles shouting out to the sea his hatred for Jack Rackham.

You’d soon run aground and after a few more months on the island, Charles had started to become…not right. His eyes were twitchy, and though they had always been wild, they were more so now.

Eventually, Charles separated himself from you and Edward. He’d ran off into the jungle, laughing like an idiot, though you’d both tried to stop him.

So that left you and Edward alone to stick together.

—

Finding food was shockingly easy. You knew seafood would be plentiful, but you’d also found a few types of produce on the island. They did not taste good, but they were edible.

Edward knelt in the shallow saltwater, tracking the movements of a crab. It scuttled closer to him, unaware that it was being preyed on. Once Edward was sure he could grab it, he did so, and wasted no time in cracking the shell, killing it. He tore off one of the legs and handed it to you. He did the same for himself and began to gnaw at it, but stilled when a rough voice growled at him and he felt something poking at the back of his neck.

"Keep still, now!"

Charles.

He’d gotten in the habit of hiding in the jungle for days at a time, and he only came out to rob you both of some of your food.

The man slowly squatted down and scooped an armful of shells from the clear water, all the while keeping his stick against Edward’s spine.

"I’ll take these oysters you’ve hoarded."

Edward huffed with frustration. Those oysters had taken the two of you all day to find, and here he was stealing them. Again.

"You mad sap," Edward growled, "this island’s crawling with food if only you’d care to look for it!"

"I am looking, lout!" Charles retorted angrily, but with a smile still on his face. He gestured with his arm full of oysters. "Found some just here." This was accompanied by mad laughter. Charles backed away, and as Edward turned to face him, he assumed a defensive, but threatening position.

"Don’t!" he warned. "Don’t come followin’, now!"

"Charles," you offer softly, trying to reason with him. He looked at you, but did not move his stick from pointing it at Edward. Charles didn’t seem to perceive you as a threat. His eyes changed, just barely so, when he saw you, but as Edward stepped closer again, his attention shifted.

"D’ya hear me? Don’t come lookin’ for me!"

With that, he ran off into the jungle once more. Edward shook his head as a father would at his child acting up.

"Wretched fool," he said, rolling his eyes. He trudged through the water, intending to set off to find Charles. But you asked anyway.

"Where are you going?"

"To find that prick and put an end to him," he said.

Put an end to him? Did he…

"You mean kill him?" you whimper, voice rising a bit in distress. "No, you can’t! Edward!"

You liked Vane. You always had. He was confident in himself, and had a quality about him that made it seem like he didn’t care what other people thought about him. You liked that. And you liked to think he liked you as well.

"He keeps stealing our food. How are we supposed to survive if he keeps this up?" Edward said, trying to get you to side with him.

"Please," you begged, "let me talk to him first."

Edward scoffed at you.

"He won’t listen."

"But at least let me try!"

Edward gave you a long stare. He evaluated you, and you wished you knew what was going on in that sharp mind of his. Was he considering your proposal, or did he plan to go after Vane anyway?

He turned to look into the trees, then back at you again.

"What makes you think he’ll listen to you?" he asked.

He hadn’t completely dismissed the idea, so that was a good sign.

"I’ve had a hunch for a while now that Charles is…" you trailed off, trying to find the right word, "…attracted to me. He may be less inclined to attack if I confront him rather than you."

Edward thought for a moment, glancing at you.

"He has always been kind to you…exceptionally so,” he said, with a nod. “Fine, but if that doesn’t work-“

"It will," you assured him.

"-but if it doesn’t…I deal with him. My way."

—

After making Edward swear he would wait at the beach and not follow, you set out to find Charles.

You waded through the thick vegetation of the tropical island, slapping at mosquitoes every few yards or so. It was brutally hot, despite the shade the leaves provided. Beads of sweat rolled down your forehead and you wiped it away.

Faintly, you could hear Charles singing some tavern song. It was lazy and off-key, but you could recognize it.

"Here’s a health to the King, and a lasting peace…to Faction an end, to wealth increase…"

He was, without a doubt, the worst singer you’d ever heard in your short life. But the sound was welcome, as it gave you a general idea of where he could be found.

"Come let us drink it while we have breath…for there’s no drinkin’ after Death…"

It sounded like he was somewhere to your left and further on into the thickets. As he continued to sing, you followed his deep voice.

"And he that will this health deny…Down among the dead men, down among the dead men…"

You pushed back some fronds of thick, fan-shaped leaves to proceed, and his voice was slowly, but steadily getting louder. You were getting close.

"Down, down, down, down…"

Finally you came to a large clearing. It was made of stone, mostly, white of color but caked in dirt. The surrounding area was nothing but more structures made of these stones. They seemed to be some ancient ruins of a sort. At the top of the highest point, you could just barely see Vane, standing proudly.

"Down among the dead men, let him lie."

As you stepped into the open, he must have caught sight of you, but not recognized you from so high up.

"Go dance with the fishermen and their dories, Kenway!" he yelled at the top of his lungs to ensure he was heard. "This island’s mine!"

You looked up at him, having to shield your eyes from the harsh light of the sun that beat down on you.

"Charles, it’s not Kenway," you shout back. "It’s me! I’ve come to talk."

Upon hearing your voice, his demeanor changed from hostile to friendly…very friendly.

"Ah, my dear," he yelled down at you with glee, "I was wonderin’ when you’d come to join me!"

"Really?" you said.

"O’course," Charles replied. He gestured for you to come to him. "Climb up here and stand with me, love!"

Well, if that’s what it took to talk with him…

You began your climb up the steep stone walls. It wasn’t very difficult, as there were several holes and jutting stones here and there for you to grab hold of. You’d almost slipped once or twice; the stones were slippery because of the waterfall that sat just below where Charles stood.

When you reached the top, he was there waiting to give you a hand. Once you’d got your balance, Charles held his arms out wide, displaying your surroundings.

"Welcome t’the Kingdom of Vane!" he said gallantly. He seemed quite convinced that he owned this place.

You would play along for now.

"The Kingdom of Vane, eh?" you said with awe in your voice. "A splendid Kingdom it is, sir. Would this be your castle?" you ponder aloud as you point to the stone building you both stood on.

"Aye, lass," he said, joyful that you were impressed by his ‘kingdom’.

"And I suppose that would make you King, would it?"

"It would indeed," he said, but then stared at you. Charles grabbed you by the hands and pulled you closer. He tucked you under one arm. "And you will be my Queen."

…goodness, the island really has gotten to his mind. He held you in his arm, almost proud that he had his “queen” at last. He seemed quite convinced that he truly was King.

It was almost cute.

"Come and look at our Kingdom, my Queen," he purred to you, and you shivered. His voice was so engaging. Still, you went with his game and let him guide you to the edge of the building.

And it truly was an attractive sight, his “kingdom”.

From below, it was pretty, with the leaves and ivy-covered stones. But from above…it was stunningly gorgeous.

You could see every tree, every bird in flight, every stone shining white. A cool breeze tousled your hair and clothes. The pond below you glittered in the sunlight, and the mist from the waterfall created a faint rainbow. It was almost a fantasy.

"It’s…" you broke off, overwhelmed by the vision. "…amazing. Beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he said seductively. He brought you into his embrace and held you close. Your heart was pounding like a drum.

"Charles?" you said.

"Nothing is as beautiful as my Queen."

And with that, he kissed you.

You can’t really say that you didn’t want the kiss, to be honest. While he was attracted to you, you were quite drawn by him as well, and admitted you had certain feelings for him.

So you didn’t resist. Instead, you became like clay in his hands, and let his lips take over yours as he moulded you into whatever shape he wished. He was being painstakingly gentle with you, and you supposed it was a nice gesture for a man like Charles, but you wanted more than gentle smooching.

You ignited the fire by kissing him harder and faster, and he was quite eager to please. He caught up, kissing back just as ferociously, until he had you backed up against a stone wall and lifted you off the ground with his strong arms.

You moaned with want as his hands wandered, but suddenly, you remembered the reason you had come in the first place.

"Charles," you mumbled between kisses. "You need to come back with me and Edward."

Just like that, the kissing stopped. He nearly dropped you to the ground, but you caught yourself. Charles had moved away from you and you couldn’t see his face.

"Kenway put you up to this didn’t he? That conniving bastard!" He raised his voice to a half-shout. "Said you should seduce me and get me to come back, eh!?"

You were taken aback by his sudden aggression towards you, but you calmly responded.

"No," you explained. "This was my idea; the kissing was just a bonus. I had to convince him to let me talk to you before he did anything."

Charles squinted his angry eyes at you, not sure if he should believe you or not.

"Edward wanted to finish you off, you know."

He scoffed at you and smiled lopsidedly.

"Well that settles it, then. I’m staying right here."

Fuck, that a poor choice of words on your part.

"Charles, please!" you begged him. "I made him swear that if I could convince you to return he wouldn’t harm you."

"And why should I believe you?" he said.

You glowered at him, upset that he would be so distrustful towards you.

"Why would I lie about this?" you asked. You wouldn’t lie about this. You cared too much about both men to risk their lives.

Charles inspected your face, and you made sure to keep eye contact so he wouldn’t suspect you of lying. He stroked his bearded chin, musing on some idea in his mind, and by the devious look on his face, it wasn’t a good idea.

Finally, he nodded.

"I’ll go back with ya…"

You sighed with relief and your lips stretched into a huge, toothy smile.

"Thank you, Charles, I promise Edward won’t-"

"…on one condition."

—

A month later, you sat at the Old Avery with Edward, drinking warm mugs of rum and laughing at jokes with Adewale.

Jack, ever the coward, returned to Nassau straight away after stealing away with the Jackdaw and sought the pardon, where Mary and Ade caught him. They held the Jackdaw, having faith that Edward would return for his beloved ship, and they were too right.

"I never thought I’d miss the stench of civilization so much," you admitted to your captain.

"Nor I," Edward agreed.

"And I’m sure Charles is happy to be back as well."

Edward sipped at his rum, peering at you wondrously over the brim of his tankard.

"Y’know, lass," he muttered, "you never did tell me that condition you agreed on to get Vane to come around."

You stopped mid-sip, and sighed. The tankard hit the table with a small clank, and you gave him a sideways glance.

"Hopefully I won’t have to," you said. He raised a brow, suspicious, but said nothing. A few minutes passed, when Charles began to call out your name loudly with a joyful voice. He strode up to the table, gave a courteous nod to Edward, and turned to speak to you.

"Are you ready?" he asked, beaming at you.

"For what?" you asked, confused. What was he even talking about? He chuckled, finding your forgetfulness endearing, apparently.

"For our wedding, of course!"

Edward choked on his rum at those words. He pounded his fist on his chest, coughing desperately, and you longed to hide your face. You were sure it was beet-red by now.

When Edward regained his breath, he stared at you in disbelief.

"This was the condition you agreed upon?" he asked. "To marry him?"

You twiddled your thumbs sheepishly.

"I didn’t think he would remember once we got back to town," you said quietly enough for only Edward to hear.

This got Edward laughing. He laughed so hard there were tears streaming down his cheeks and he pounded his fist on the table.

"Come on, love," Charles said in a loving voice, “‘ve got the priest and everythin’!"

Edward was still laughing in aftershocks now, and your face was so hot with embarrassment.

"A deal’s a deal, darling. Oh, I wish you two all the happiness in the world, I do!" he said, and began roaring with laughter again.

You rolled your eyes.

"Well," you said, taking a deep breath, "It could be worse," you said as you took Charles’ hand and let him lead you off to the church.


End file.
